The Grenada gazette., 1887-10-22
A REMARKABLE STORY.
White slaves ON the Sugar Plantations q
the Hawaiian Islands.

tn0 nAWAlhn 101AuuSs
H. Benedict, waiter In . Main
street restaurant only reached this
city short time ago. He has just e..
capped from life Of slavery that is. ac-
cording to his story, a hu ndred times
more severe in every respect than were
the old slavery days before the war
Learning of this fact areporter looked
him up and drew out the following
statement, which was told in a
straightforward manner that can not
be disbelieved:
almost six years ago." Mr.. Ben.
edict began, Il was waiter in San
Francisco restaurant, when l was
taken sick, and the doctor who attend.
ed me told me that ! would have to gel
away from San Francisco unless ]
wanted to die Of consumption. The
first day that I was able to be out
walked down to the water front and
was watching the ships discharge.
when stranger approached and asked
me to take walk. Aftor having q
little conversation with me he learned
that wished to leave the city, and he
told me that he was friendly with q
number of peoplein Honolulu, and that
he was confident that could get work
as soon as l reached the islands. He
told me that he represented certain
firm, and was confident that l could
get free passage to the islands If ]
would 60. Imet him the next day,
and he informed me that he had Sc.
cured thirteen others who would 60.
and he introduced me to several Of
them. They all thought it a good
chance to get out Of California fol
awhile, and consented to 60. We
sailed on schooner under a man
named Myers. and were treated like
regular passengers for few days, OF
until we all got over our seasickness,
when Cap tain Myers came around one
day with a big blank book in his hands.
He asked us our true names, place Of
birth, age and what occupation we had
followed.
I'VE thought it very strange pro.
ceodings, but said nothing, although
we were greatly trou bled. When we
reached the islands, we did not go into
port, but stopped outside. A steam.
launch was soon alongside. and man,
who represented himself to be q doctor.
came aboard. He and the captain
were closeted for quite awhile, when
the doctor came aft and gave each one
Of us a medical examination. The
captain and doctor then l. It the ship,
and few hours after we weighed
anchor and for two days we were
sailing in and out among islands.
Finally we were landed at large
sugar plantation and given to under
stand that we were to work in the
field. We learned the next day that
the plantation was owned by two men
who were considered the hardest task.
masters on the islands We were told
that we had been employed through
the captain and that We were to got
$50 month each We hesitated about
going to work at first, but the foreman
talked very nice to us, and after we
had worked month we went to the
foreman's Office to draw our pay.
Here we were Mortified to learn that |
we had been sold to the sugar-planters
as slaves for so much head, that II
would take Us just three years to buy
our freedom. II we worked every day. |
We were credited with twenty FIVE
cents q day when we worked. and
when we were too sick to work they |
charged us seventy.fiye cents day
for board. They paid SO much for
III, and we had to work our freedom
out at the rate Of twenty-five cents a
day. and under the laws OF the
island we agreed to this contract
the first day we worked-as going
to work with our own free will signi.
fed that we were willing to work fol
the planters for our passage to the
islands. Well. we made . hard kick
against such treatment, but there wae
no help for it. as the plantation wa.
guarded BY a company Of native
soldiers who were only too willing tc
shoot white slave who attempted "a
escape.
when we refused to work, we were
placed In the stocks and whipped un.
til the blood strcamed of our backs.
When man wanted to lay of. be.
cause Of sickness, . plantation doctor
was called in, and II the doctor said hs
was not sick the fellow was either
whipped or killed. have know
them to take man out and shoe,
him because he could not work. A
man was taken violently sick one day
but the doctor said he was all right
and the oyerscer made him 60 to tho
ficld He struggled along until about
noon, when he dropped down dead.
We were worked ten hours .
day, and no set Of men
were ever worked harder In the
world. The work on a sugar planta,
X<-.~ l.